


On the Sidelines

by owlmoose



Category: Final Fantasy X-2
Genre: Dressphere Meta, Female Friendship, Gen, game meta
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-09
Updated: 2013-05-09
Packaged: 2017-12-10 22:36:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,092
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/790976
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/owlmoose/pseuds/owlmoose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>On Yuna's first visit back to Besaid, Paine and Lulu have an opportunity to get to know each other a little better.</p>
            </blockquote>





	On the Sidelines

**Author's Note:**

  * For [justira](https://archiveofourown.org/users/justira/gifts).



> Written for the 2013 round of DOINK! (Final Fantasy Exchange), for a prompt requesting more about Paine and Lulu: how are they similar, how are they different? As much as I love these two characters, and well as I think they would get along, I've written very little about the two of them together, so I jumped at the chance. Set during Chapter One.

Paine stepped into the tent and blinked a few times, adjusting to the sudden dimness. It was still spring in most of the rest of Spira, but Besaid was already flirting with summer: sun beating down from a bright blue sky, wispy clouds scattered high above, the air heavy with humidity. So the tent was a welcome respite from the sunshine. It felt more like a cabin inside: the floor and walls covered with bright tapestries, a small hearth nestled off to the side, a round table in the center. Paine moved aside to make room for Yuna, coming in behind her. Yuna took two steps forward, then froze as the woman sitting behind the table looked up.

"Welcome back," she said, her voice warm and husky. Her expression was serious, but Paine heard a smile lurking behind her words.

Yuna brought her hands behind her back and shifted from foot to foot with a smile. "Hi, Lulu," she said, shyly.

"When's the baby coming?" Rikku asked. "Soon, right?"

Lulu chuckled. "Not quite. Wakka's getting a little ahead of himself." She stood up, and Paine could see that, while her belly was clearly rounded beneath the stays of her corset, it didn't seem like she was about to pop. "So. Shall we talk a walk?"

Yuna touched her chin. "Can you?"

"I could use the exercise." Lulu stepped out from behind the table, stopping as she passed Paine. "Hello." 

"Hi," Paine said, lifting her chin in response.

"This is Paine," Yuna said. "She's also one of the Gullwings."

"Nice to meet you. Have you been to Besaid before?" Paine shook her head, and Lulu favored her with a small smile. "Then let us show you the sights, such as they are." She turned and swept out the door, Yuna and Rikku at her heels, and after a moment Paine followed. So, she thought, this was the famous Lulu. Black mage, legendary guardian, and mother-to-be. And even more striking in person than on the sphere screens, her hair dark against skin even paler than Paine's. She walked at the head of the small group, Rikku at her side and Yuna a step behind. Even though she didn't stop to speak with anyone else, the respect the villagers had for Lulu and Yuna both was obvious -- everyone marked their passing with a nod or a wave, and Paine even saw a few small prayer bows. But they seemed comfortable, too; no one looked stiff or nervous or over-awed. 

Meanwhile, they barely even looked at Paine. Which she didn't really mind. Too many people noticing you meant too many questions. But still, commanding that kind of silent respect would be nice. She wondered what the trick was. Besides being heroes, of course.

The four women walked through the gate and up the side of the mountain, still silent. Paine could see Yuna vibrating with nerves, and she fell back even further. This was a private moment, and she had no interest in interrupting. At least the scenery was nice.

-x-

"So hey." Rikku nudged Paine as they walked back toward town. When Lulu and Yuna had finished their conversation, they'd spent the rest of the day exploring the island -- the beach, the lagoon, the mountainside. It was pretty, but there'd been no sign of the sphere they'd supposedly come here to find. "What d'ya think of Lulu and Wakka so far?"

Paine raised her eyebrow. "You're asking me?" Rikku nodded, and she shrugged. "Wakka needs to get it together. But then Lulu seems together enough for the both of them."

Rikku grinned. "Sounds about right." She skipped around in a small circle. "Too bad Lulu can't join the Gullwings now. I bet she'd like sphere hunting. Not that being a mom isn't good, too." She sighed, a happy little sound that made Paine's teeth itch. "I can't believe they're gonna have a little baby soon!"

There didn't seem to be any reasonable response to that, so Paine grunted and started walking again. "We should get moving," she said. "Sundown soon."

"Oh, fine." Rikku fell into step next to her. "Lulu never wanted to gossip either." She glanced sidelong at Paine. "You know, you're a lot alike."

Paine shot her a quick look, almost catching her eye, then turned away before Rikku could say anything more. Maybe there was truth to that, but she didn't really want to talk about it. For once, Rikku took the hint, and they finished the trip back to the village in silence.

-x-

Later, after dinner, everyone gathered at the center of town, warding off the chilly evening air by clustering around the bonfire. Paine hung back in the shadows, sitting alone under the silent trees. She leaned back against the rough bark and wrapped her arms around her knees. The firelight flickered, beckoning her in, but she resisted. Best not to think about the last time she had talked and laughed with friends around a campfire.

Instead, she watched Yuna and Rikku as they mingled with the townspeople. She could hear them chatting, telling stories about their trip, and they both seemed so happy and comfortable that she wondered if they would even want to leave once they'd found the sphere, wherever it was hiding. Then she looked at Lulu, standing a little bit away from the fire, arms crossed. She, too, seemed to be watching Yuna. Paine wondered if Yuna regretted not having Lulu along: her mentor, an old friend, a black mage. 

Paine shifted and landed right on top of her garment grid, which clinked as the spheres bumped into each other. She reached into the mass and pulled one out. It was one of the newer spheres, the one showing the cityscape of old Zanarkand and imbued with black magic power. She flipped it up into the air, then caught it, the smooth crystal cool on her fingertips. She hadn't tried it out yet -- Yuna had asked to have first crack. And Paine didn't mind. She'd never had any talent for magic, which had always been fine with her: a blade was a tangible weapon, one she could trust to always be there. Peering into the sphere's sparkling depths, though, Paine had to wonder what it would be like to wield the elements.

"That's a pretty trinket." Paine twisted around to see Lulu looking down at her, a thoughtful smile on her face. "One of your dresspheres?"

Paine nodded. "Elemental magic," she said. "Guess that seems pretty funny to you."

Lulu smiled. "More like a wonder." She gestured to the ground beside Paine. "May I join you?"

"Sure." Paine shrugged, then scooted aside to give her new companion the tree trunk, marveling at how gracefully Lulu lowered herself to the ground. She settled back against the tree with a grateful sigh. 

"Thanks." She looked at Paine, then the dressphere. "May I?" she said again. Paine placed the sphere in her outstretched palm, and she held it up to the firelight. "So, this allows you to cast elemental magic?"

"Yeah. Just the four basic spells for now. But Yuna's been practicing with it, and she thinks she can unlock more."

"Ah." Lulu rolled the sphere around her hand, catching it with the tips of her fingers. "And you can switch between them? Use black magic one day, white magic another, sword skills the next?"

"Faster than that." Paine pulled out her garment grid and showed Lulu the net of spheres. "You use these controls to change which sphere is active. But if you change too often, you don't learn new skills as quickly."

Lulu handed Paine back the sphere. "Show me?"

Paine started, but she took the sphere. "Okay. But I should warn you, I haven't played with this yet."

"That's all right. I'm just curious."

Paine settled the sphere back into its place on the grid, then activated it. The sense of power was immediate, a warm tingling rising to her fingertips. So this was what magic felt like. She could sense each of the four elements in her mind, and she sorted through her feelings to decide which would be easiest for her to control. "Ice, ice, baby," she muttered, and then she opened her eyes, letting the cold flow out of her hands and into a nearby tree. Frost covered the trunk, and an icicle hung from one of the lower branches."

"Well done!" Lulu flipped her hand, and the ice was washed away by a trickle of water from above. "I bet that's fun. Being able to try new things without having to start from scratch."

"I guess." Paine deactivated the grid and set it gently aside. "But you're already a powerful mage."

"True." Lulu chuckled. "But there are other kinds of spheres, yes? I might enjoy cutting through fiends with a sword for once. Or learning how to use a gun." She brought a hand around the curve of her stomach. "Maybe another time."

Paine glanced sidelong at her, the question tickling at the back of the throat. It was rude, forward, the kind of thing she'd smack anyone down for asking her. And yet she was finding Lulu easy to talk to. "Are you unhappy? Being stuck here on Besaid, left behind while Yuna and Rikku go on adventures again?"

Lulu leaned forward, the fall of her bangs silhouetting her face in the firelight. "No. Not really." She turned to face Paine, one dark crimson eye meeting her gaze. "I went on three pilgrimages in my day, always with one goal in mind: to protect Yuna. The first two times, I went in hopes that another summoner would succeed first, so Yuna would never have to journey at all. When it became clear that nothing would dissuade her, I became her guardian to help her as best I could. Now..." She shifted to look back toward the gathering of people around the fire, and Paine was sure she stared straight at Yuna, who sat on the ground and leaned back on her hands, laughing with Rikku and Buddy. "Now, she can take care of herself." She leaned back again with a wry smile. "Mostly," she added. "I'm glad she's not out there alone."

Paine glanced back toward the campfire. "Rikku hardly ever leaves her side."

"True, and they make a good team." Lulu was silent for a moment. "But Rikku's not all she needs. I don't know how well you know Yuna, but surely you've noticed that she tends to be a bit.... idealistic sometimes."

Paine snorted. "That's putting it mildly."

Lulu's answering smile was almost wistful. "Even after all she has seen, all she learned about the corruption of Yevon, she still wants to believe the best of people. It's one of the things I love about her. Rikku is like that, too. They need someone a little less trusting, a little more cynical."

A smile tugged at Paine's mouth. "If you're asking whether I have that covered, the answer is yes." She tapped her fingers against her knees. "I overheard what you said to Yuna before. About being High Summoner, and how people might try to use her? And it's so true. But Yuna still doesn't really get it. She doesn't understand how much influence she has."

"And a part of me wishes she would never have to learn, that she could just stay a carefree sphere hunter, following the winds of adventure wherever they take her." Lulu sighed. "Sadly, the world doesn't work that way. But I'm happy to see her enjoying herself for as long as it lasts. Especially knowing that she has good teammates to watch her back."

_Not all teammates are there to watch your back._ The thought hit Paine hard, her tentative hopefulness draining away in a matter of seconds. She took a deep breath, then shook it off. She liked Lulu, even trusted her a little bit, but that was something she wasn't ready to talk about. Not with anyone. "I'll do my best," she said, almost too quietly to be heard. 

"That's all we can ask." Lulu pulled herself off the ground, brushing dirt off the back of her skirt. "It's a bit chilly, isn't it? Shall we get closer to the fire?"

Paine shook her head. "I'm fine here. But thanks."

If Lulu was disappointed to have her invitation declined, she didn't show it; she responded with a friendly nod. "I'll see you in the morning." And she sauntered back into the firelight, leaving Paine alone with her memories once again.


End file.
